James Garner was an American actor and producer. He starred in several television series over more than five decades, including popular roles such as Bret Maverick in the 1950s Western series Maverick and as Jim Rockford in the 1970s private detective show, The Rockford Files. He played leading roles in more than 50 theatrical films, including The Great Escape with Steve McQueen, Paddy Chayefsky's The Americanization of Emily with Julie Andrews, Grand Prix with Toshiro Mifune, Marlowe with Bruce Lee, Support Your Local Sheriff!, Support Your Local Gunfighter, The Castaway Cowboy, Blake Edwards's Victor/Victoria with Julie Andrews, and Murphy's Romance with Sally Field, for which he received an Academy Award nomination. Garner's career and popularity continued through another decade in movies like Space Cowboys with Clint Eastwood, voicing an animated film titled Atlantis: The Lost Empire with Michael J. Fox and Cree Summer, and The Notebook with Gena Rowlands, and his TV sitcom role as Jim Egan in 8 Simple Rules.